Gig Harbor vendor one of 5 to receive AG warning over price-gouging coronavirus items
Story has been updated.
A Gig Harbor business is among five Washington individuals or businesses to receive cease-and-desist letters from the Washington state Attorney General’s Office this month after being accused of online price gouging related to the coronavirus outbreak.
In letters dated March 26, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he’d received notification from Amazon.com that indicated each were selling items “at an excessive price during the public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Ferguson warned that continuing such inflated sales “could result in a lawsuit under the state Consumer Protection Act,” according to a news release issued Tuesday.
Each letter noted that continued sales “at such a price may result in a lawsuit against you and the imposition of civil penalties of up to $2,000 per violation.”
Tyson Schultz of Stripes Global, Inc., listed with a Gig Harbor address, was among those to receive a letter, copies of which Ferguson’s office made public on his office’s website. Ferguson called out the business for selling Pasture N95 masks at an “excessive” price.
Efforts by The News Tribune to reach Schultz weren’t immediately successful.
According to a posting on Stripes Medical’s website, a related business, Schultz is listed as having served in the U.S. Army and having “personally provided $30M in medical equipment and consumable products throughout his career.”
The other persons or businesses to receive letters, and the items cited:
▪ Devon Mahdi, Spokane: N95 masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes.
▪ Douglas Min, DVSI LLC, Issaquah: 3M N95 mask.
▪ JoAnn Chan, Pass the Book, Mill Creek: 3M N95 masks.
▪ Western Safety Products, Seattle: 3M and Moldex-Metric N95 masks.
The letters are the first Ferguson has sent in response to alleged price-gouging during the virus outbreak and were based on information from Amazon.com “detailing Washington-based retailers who significantly raised prices on coronavirus-related products between January and February,” according to the release.
While Washington does not have a specific statute addressing price-gouging, it would be considered an unfair or deceptive practice under the Consumer Protection Act, according to the statement from Ferguson’s office.
The office expects more letters to be sent in the future. To file a complaint about price-gouging, visit the Attorney General’s website at www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint, where you can also include a photo or a screen shot of the overpriced product.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 1:14 PM.
